KYIV, Ukraine — Russian missiles and drones killed at least eight civilians and injured 35 others in Ukraine on Monday in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “horrific attacks.”
Since Russia launched its all-out invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago, its forces have conducted strategic bombing in an effort to destroy the country’s infrastructure and sap Ukrainian morale. More than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to the U.N.
A Russian missile targeting infrastructure struck the central city of Dnipro, killing five people and wounding 29, Zelenskyy said on social media.
Russian drones also hit a passenger minibus in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, killing three and wounding six, including a child, he said.
In addition, Russia drones killed a 69-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, National Police said.
Other deadly attacks occurred in at least six other regions of Ukraine, authorities said.
Some customers in eight Ukrainian regions were left without power Monday after Russian strikes, after hot weather drove up electricity use as people turned on air conditioners, grid operator Ukrenergo said.
Zelenskyy renewed his plea for Europe to step up its development of air defenses to block Russia’s ballistic missiles, which are hard to stop.
“People need greater protection from such horrific attacks,” Zelenskyy said. “Above all, we need anti-ballistic capabilities. It is essential that Europe is as active as possible in developing its own anti-ballistic defense – its own systems and missiles.”
A marked shift has taken place in the war in recent months, Western officials say, as Ukraine’s expanding drone strikes have brought fuel shortages in Russia and Russia-occupied territory. The attacks have weakened the Russian military’s supply lines to the front in eastern and southern Ukraine, slowing their advance, according to analysts.
Ukraine’s innovative drone engineering has given it an edge in the war and made it a world leader in the technology’s military use, and it is now helping partner countries after previously pleading for foreign military support.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday acknowledged that repeated Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russia’s oil facilities have caused fuel shortages. The scarcity has triggered public anger and frustration as people wait in line for hours to fill up at gas stations.
But Putin ruled out making any concessions to end the invasion and insisted that Russia will ultimately prevail in the war despite what he called “temporary” setbacks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia’s position on Ukraine remains unchanged, insisting that Russian troops are continuing their front-line offensive.
Their effort “makes us confident that our goals will be achieved,” Peskov told reporters.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said the Kremlin’s stance is an attempt to push the West and Ukraine to giving in to Russia’s demands.
But, it added, “Russia’s battlefield performance continues to decline in 2026 and Russia’s ability to seize its objectives militarily is in question.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 209 Ukrainian drones from late Sunday through early Monday.
Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 82 of the 108 drones that Russia launched overnight.
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Hatton reported from Lisbon.
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